Jennifer is a great cook. Living with leukemia, she focuses on how to stay nourished. Thanks to a partnership with a statewide wellness initiative, and your support, Jennifer can get free, fresh food delivered to her directly at home.
“My hope is to stay healthy and live another 10 years, with my cancer, and enjoy life. Which I’m doing presently,” shares Jennifer.
Jennifer is 65 ½ and has chronic leukemia. When she got her diagnosis 17 years ago, she moved from Memphis back to her hometown of Rutland.
“When I became disabled, I needed subsidized housing,” Jennifer explains. She likes her apartment—the closets, being centrally located, and the box of free food delivered to her home.
The building Jennifer lives in is one of the housing communities in Vermont that participates in Support and Services at Home (SASH), a wellness initiative providing free supports to residents on Medicare who live independently. The Vermont Foodbank partners with 45 SASH housing sites, delivering fresh foods that you help provide—like produce, dairy, and eggs—directly to where people live.
“It’s quite an adjustment when you get told [you have cancer],” Jennifer says. “And that’s why I’m hell-bent on eating good—and fresh, whole foods like potatoes and what you deliver here.”
She explains having the food delivered directly to her home is especially helpful. “Because of my skeleton, I’m all broke down, certain days I can’t even go out shopping.”
“I have nothing but good to say about it,” says Jennifer. “I’m going to utilize whatever that box has in it to be able to save on my budget. It really helps out. I can use that extra money toward a phone bill.”
Some of Jennifer’s favorite dishes are lasagna, chowder, and stewed cabbage. She describes how she uses the apples she receives to make applesauce with raisins, cinnamon, and nutmeg that she’ll share with her neighbors. And how she’ll cut up the carrots for snacks, freeze some, and roast some.
“I don’t waste any food if I can help it,” she says. “I’m a wonderful cook, so I look forward to whatever is in there.”
“Who don’t love food?!” Jennifer laughs. “It’s one of the pleasures of life, you know.”
Glenn is one of Vermont Foodbank’s all-star drivers, and for him, work is personal. Having faced hard times himself, Glenn brings empathy and care that resonate with every neighbor he meets. Watching him work, it’s clear—he doesn’t just deliver food. He delivers connection and hope, with a side of humor that lightens the mood and makes every interaction genuine.
As a retired pastry chef, Cindy spends a lot of time trying new recipes, creating edible masterpieces, and baking for just about anyone she encounters. Cindy also volunteers her talents to teach baking classes at Bugbee Senior Center in White River Junction, where she has found a community she values, and that values her in return.
When life took an unexpected turn for a mom in northern Vermont, she got in touch with the Foodbank to help provide her family with nourishing food. With the one-on-one assistance available to help connect her with the food resources that work best for her whole family, she can keep feeding her kids quality food while investing in her community.
